Morris tribune., 1887-01-26
The Desert Land Act.

InG DcSeEb lam" HASOs
The plains, valleys and Tlateaux in
the far interior OF the continent, lying
on both sides OF the Rocky Mountain
ranges, and between them and the
Sierras are for the most part too dry
for farming without artificial means
of wetting the ground. There is not
enough rainfall to supply sufficient
moisture for crops to mature. This
is the case with much of Colorado,
New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Wyom-
ing and Nevada, most OF Montana
and Idaho, and considerable areas of
Oregon and Washington. Some pors
tions of this vast region are covered
with bunch-grass or buffalo. grass and
others support no better vegetation
than the vile smelling sage brush, or
its cousin, the grease-wood or, still
worse, the ugly pads OF the prlckly-
pear cactus. The soil Is good enough;
indeed, it is for the most part quite
rich where not too strongly lmpreg-
mated with alkali, but nature Is chary
of her rainfall, and refuses to send the
life-giving showers in the season when
the farmer wants them to make his
grain grow. The only way to farm III
such regions is by irrigation, and to
encourage settlers to redeem the ster-
lie land by digging bitches ana bring
ing water upon it, congress passed,
not many years ago, what Is known
as the desert Land Act.
The claimant under the Desert Act
must file his affidavit and those ottwo
witnesses, declaring that the tract he
describes is in fact desert land, inca
pable OF cultivation without irrlga-
ton. He must also pay IN advance
twenty-five cents per acre, At the end
OF three years he "prOFes up" To do
this. he makes affidavit, with two wit
nesses. that he has brought water upon
the land, in accordance to thelaw, pays
one dollar per acre, and gets a patent.
If he has watered only a portion ot
the mie-sQuare tract, he can prove
up on the forty-acre tracts that he
has actually reclaimed, pay for them
only, and get his title. If q portion
of the tract is bluff land, inaccessible
to bitches, the government throws it
in with the rest.
Farming by irrigation is only prac-
ticable in mountain countries, in little
strips OF valleys, or on plains trav-
ersed by rivers which can be diverted
from their courses so as to yield apOr-
ton Of their waters for the benefit OF
the neighboring fields. 1t is q labor
ious method OF agriculture, and is as
old as civilization in the valley of the
hn n
practise it in this country.
There are great advantages in this
method of farming. The farmer sup
plies his fields with just as much moist
ure as is needed to bring his crops
along in the best condition. He gets
about twice as much grain to the acre
as is raised in regions where depend
ence is placed on the rain. Thus he
is much more than repaid for the la
Dor of irrigation, besides being freed
from all risk Of losing his crop.
Let us see how an irrigated wheat
field is managed. The main ditch that
supplies it with water may be many
miles long, and jointly owned by sew
eral farmers; or it may be the proper
ty of a corporation, which sells the
water to the farmers, as IS done eX-
tensively in California and Colorado;
or it may come out OF stream near
by, and be owned solelyby a single
farmer.
The land cultivated must have a
gradual slope. The water is conduct
ed in a large ditch along the upper
side OF the field, and from this small
er bitches are scOoped out with a
plough across the field at intervals
Ola few yards. These are usual y made
after the crop is put in. When the
farmer finds the soil getting dry and
the grain looking thirsty, he goes over
the field with hoe and spade, dam.
ming up the crossd bitches, into which
he has first let the water from his
large ditch, and thus, with great
deal of pains and skill, gradually
flooding the whole surface, until it is
thoroughly soaked. Usually this pro-
cess IS gone through twice during the
growing season. Ii there are rains in
June, one irrigation may suffice, but
in dry seasons three are necessary.
An irrigated field of wheat presents
a beautiful appearance, the stalks
grow so thickly and so evenly, the
heads being nearly on level. Every
stalk has had all the moisture it need
ed, and has done it's best. Farmers
in irrigated valleys in the West believe
that the water has afertilizing proper
ty, and say that land watered by
bitches does not wear out nearly as
soon as that cultivated by the aid OF
rainfall.